Does God Delight in Me?

Delight is expressed in Hebrew meaning “to bend towards, to be inclined towards [an object or person]” or “to delight or take pleasure in.” We see God’s delight supremely at the baptism and transfiguration of Jesus. When Jesus is baptized, the Father says, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).

At another time, Jesus led Peter, James and John up a high mountain where He was transfigured before their eyes. His face shone like the sun and His clothes became like white light. God spoke from a cloud that covered them and said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5). God the Father delights in His Son, Jesus.

From their love, Jesus is sent into our world, taking on human flesh: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). The Father did not withhold His love from the world, but willingly gave His love through Jesus, which was displayed throughout His life and, ultimately, His death for us on the cross.

God is bent towards us, inclined to save us, giving us Himself, because He delights in and loves us. Jesus said “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11). Although every good gift we receive is from above (James 1:17), the greatest gift to us is God Himself.

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The delight of God from Father to Son is given to us by the Holy Spirit, that whoever believes in Him is then adopted into His family as sons and daughters of God. In Ephesians 1:5, it says, “he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.” God’s pleasure and will are to bring us into His family in perfect love, through faith in the Son and by the power of the Spirit. When we receive the greatest gift and good news of all, Jesus Christ and Him crucified for us, we become children of God:

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:12-13).

Likewise in Romans 8:14-16, it says:

“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”

We become adopted into the family of God for eternity and God delights to welcome us, for that was always His will and good pleasure to do so. It was prophesied that Jesus would come into our world, and that He is chosen and delighted in by the Father.

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations” (Isaiah 42:1).

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Although God delights in us because of His love, He also delights when we are obedient to Him. When it comes to the subject of obedience, this may be where those feelings of disappointment come in. We may be acutely aware of our sin and shortcomings, believing that the Lord is disappointed in us. However, just like a good father may be disappointed in the actions his child takes, he never stops loving them. Their relationship may be strained because of disobedience or waywardness. But their child still remains dearly loved by them.

As Christians, we do not start from a position of obedience. We start from a position as sinners saved by grace, adopted as sons and daughters into God’s family, wholly loved and delighted in. From this secure position, the Holy Spirit begins His work in our lives, making us more and more like Jesus. As we are transformed by the renewing of our minds, we begin to test and approve God’s perfect and pleasing will and seek to live a life that is holy and pleasing to Him (Romans 12:1-2). The Spirit helps us to obey, and even when we mess up, we go back to the cross in repentance, and can know the forgiveness found in God’s secure love.

“You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise” (Psalm 51:16-17).

In the Old Testament the prophet Samuel said to Saul, “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams” (1 Samuel 15:22). Although the Lord had anointed Saul to become King of Israel, Saul did not obey His instructions to completely destroy the wicked Amalekites. Instead, he took plunder from them and brought their king back. This disobedience cost him greatly; God rejected Saul as king, and Samuel would never visit him again. To reject the word of God cost Saul everything.

Rejecting Jesus is costly too. It cost Christ His life as His body was broken for us on the cross. To reject His sacrifice means we reject His love both now and for eternity. Jesus obeyed the Father by going to the cross to reconcile us to Himself (Colossians 1:20). If we choose to reject Him, we walk in disobedience and darkness, choosing to remain separated from God, which will ultimately lead to eternal judgment.

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Remembering who God delights in and what Jesus has done for us, we can begin to understand that in His holiness and goodness, there would be things that He does not delight in. Proverbs 6:16-19 give many examples of things the Lord hates including: “haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.” We live in a world full of good gifts and the love of God, yet it is a world that is broken by sin and evil. Sin creates a barrier for humanity to be in relationship with Him and it cost Jesus His life on the cross as He paid the penalty for sin (Romans 3:21-26).

He takes no pleasure in wickedness (Psalm 5:4). Nor does He take delight in the punishment of wickedness (Ezekiel 33:11). God is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love (Psalm 145:8). Following the death of Jesus’ friend Lazarus, “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). Along with showing compassion towards His friends, Jesus despaired at the reality of sin and the death that ensues from it.

Human strength is something that God does not delight in. When we trust in ourselves, we often fall into sin. God desires people to find their strength in Him. The apostle Paul reminds us that God “uses the weak to shame the strong” (1 Corinthians 1:27). Throughout Proverbs and Psalms, we are taught that the wise are those who fear the Lord and obey his commands. Psalm 147:10-11 says:

“He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord favors those who fear Him, Those who wait for His lovingkindness.”

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Christians are a redeemed people whom God delights in. Knowing we are loved by God allows us to reciprocate this love towards Him and others. Our salvation is a result of God’s delight in us. No more do we need to hide ourselves from God fearing punishment. We can boldly approach His throne since it is a throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). Jesus has paid the ransom which prevented us from accessing God’s presence.

“For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation” (Psalm 149:4).

We can live our lives secure in His eternal delight in us, regardless of what circumstances we have to walk through. Throughout Scripture we are reminded that God is close to those who are suffering for Him (Matthew 5:10-12; Psalm 34:18). Those who persevere through life’s trials will be rewarded with the crown of life and granted eternal life with the Son (James 1:12).

We long for those who do not yet follow Jesus to come to Him and receive Him. Praying to God, sharing the good news of Christ crucified, and loving others with the same love we have received from Jesus should be the pattern and rhythm of a transformed life.

A final thought is: do we delight in God? Knowing that He does delight in His children, that we were redeemed at such a high price, and that we are loved by Him should kindle a deep affection for Him within us. Ultimately, this is a work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We cannot say that it is anything that we have done for God that makes Him love us. It is all His grace. When we allow Him to love us, welcoming the Spirit’s work in our lives, changing us from the inside out, He bestows blessing after blessing upon us. He will grant us the desires of our heart, which are always met supremely in Him.

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).

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